The Sierra Club filed a motion to join a lawsuit filed by the U.S. government against BP in the multi-district litigation (MDL) surrounding the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent oil spill.

Boulder, Colo. attorney Eric Huber and San Francisco attorney Devorah Ancel filed the motion to intervene on behalf of the Sierra Club on Feb. 7.

The motion claims the "adverse impacts of the oil spill hinder the Sierra Club members' use and enjoyment of [the Gulf Coast region], and impacts their recreational, business, scientific and aesthetic interests."

The Sierra Club claims it is trying to ensure that BP and other defendants are given the maximum possible legal penalties and that those funds go "directly to Gulf Coast restoration."

The motion claims that the Sierra Club and the U.S. "are adversaries" and that the Sierra Club's claims implicate the federal government as a responsible party because of their approval of BP's "woefully inadequate" oil spill response plan.

The U.S. also has conflicts of interests through their contracts with oil companies, the motion claims.

"Because of its business interests, worth billions of dollars, the government has a disincentive to maximize penalties against BP," the Sierra Club states.